Hello and welcome to my first real try at writing something other than James/Lily. This was inspired by the conversation between Oliver and Katie about his obsession with Quidditch and something that's going to happen in an upcoming chapter, of which I'm not entirely sure how many there'll be. It will most likely be between two and five-ish. There's no real romance in this chapter; just getting the groundwork out of the way, so there's a possibility for more later on, so if you were looking for any kind of Oliver/Katie action, you will be sorely disappointed for now.
Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter, as much as I wish otherwise.
Warnings - minor swearing and non-de-script under-age alcohol consumption
Written for - Favourite Hogwarts House Boot Camp Challenge using prompt 'Snowflake' (you'll understand later) and The If You Dare Challenge with the prompt 'My Personality'
It started with a simple, celebratory drink at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade with a few members of the team. Oliver Wood, newly-made ex-Captain of Gryffindor Quidditch team had been accepted as Puddlemere United's reserve Keeper; an achievement that was quite the feat for an eighteen year old, recently graduated Hogwarts student. Having received the news, Oliver had immediately owled his previous team mates to let them know and to share his excitement. They had all messaged back, even Harry which was surprising, to offer their congratulations and well wishes. It had been Angelina who suggested they all meet up for one last 'send off' and Oliver was loathe to admit that he'd been a tiny bit disappointed when Harry had said he couldn't go; something about a familial obligation, and the Weasley twins had had to duck out too, in preparation of their two oldest brothers coming home, although all three had promised that they would come and watch a match every now and then. The three Gryffindor Chasers, however, had happily agreed to meet him at the pub; a place they chose for its easy access via either Floo or Apparition, and the fact that they'd most likely be able to convince Madam Rosmerta to let them have a firewhiskey or two.
-xoxo-
Alicia Spinnet was the first to arrive out of them all, breezing into the virtually empty pub, the sun streaming in after her and sending dust motes dancing in the warm rays. She ordered herself a cold butterbeer and settled down at a table next to one of the windows facing onto the bustling high street. Taking a sip of her beverage, she double checked her jacket pocket for the small pouch of Floo powder her mother had given to her just before she and Alicia's younger brother had wandered off towards Zonko's. Satisfied it was where she'd put it, she relaxed in her chair and simply people-watched while she waited. By the time anyone else turned up, she had long since finished her drink and was playing with an extremely bent coaster on the table in front of her, not noticing when her best friend, Angelina Johnson, pushed the door open, stepping back to allow an elderly wizard out first, her eyes scanning over the patrons quickly and she strolled over to the table, her hands shoved deep into her jeans pockets. The tall witch dropped into the seat next to Alicia, smiling when she gave a small jump of surprise.
"Where did you come from?" Alicia demanded with a mock frown, dropping the coaster back onto the table and glancing sideways at her friend.
"I got Mum to Apparate me into Hogsmeade earlier; Dad's birthday is coming up and I wanted to go to Honeyduke's anyway." She peered out of the window curiously, watching a goblin make his way down the street and enter the post office. "You didn't see me coming?"
"I wasn't really paying attention, to be honest." Came the sheepish reply and Angelina's lips twitched as she reached down to grab the bag she'd placed on the floor. Lifting it onto the table, she reached into one of the front pockets and drew out a few gold coins. She pushed her chair back and picked up the empty glass, a single brow raising in question.
"D'you want anything?" When the response was a shake of the head, she headed off to the bar, handing the glass over to Rosmerta with a friendly smile and a few words of greeting.
Oliver and Katie turned up within seconds of each other whilst she was gone, appearing from opposite sides of the pub and grinning at each other when they got close enough. As Alicia got to her feet, Katie threw her arms around the older boy's neck and hugged him tightly, beaming at an amused Angelina, who had noticed their arrival and was ordering drinks for them too.
"Hello, Oliver." Alicia greeted with a laugh, waiting for the younger girl to let go so she could hug him. He returned the gesture and then moved on to the final member of their group when she returned, four pint glasses and a bowl of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans following her, bobbing gently as they floated to the table. She sent her friend a questioning look and received an eye roll in return.
"I was getting one for everyone else, may as well have got one for you too." As she drew back from Oliver, she gripped his shoulders and smiled happily at him. "Never mind that. Congratulations, Ollie!" It was testament to how exuberant the wizard was feeling that he didn't so much as bat an eyelash at the hated nickname his childhood friend had given him when he was six, in order to wind him up.
"Yeah, well done!" Katie joined in, slipping into the other seat beside the window.
"You're gonna be a super-famous Quidditch star!" Angelina claimed, directing the glasses to their owners with a flick of her wand hand, and from her position she noticed the same goblin she'd seen earlier storming out of the post office, his face twisted into an ugly scowl, a small paper package tucked securely under one of his arms.
"I somehow doubt that." He replied with a smile, placing his glass on the table when it tapped the side of his head and lowering himself onto the only unoccupied chair. "I'm only a reserve."
"Yeah, but you're the reserve Keeper for a team who's been in the top three of the league for the past eight years!" Katie argued heatedly, shrinking back slightly when three sets of surprised eyes snapped to her. "What?"
"I didn't know you were interested in the league." Oliver commented idly, his focus switching to his butterbeer, his right index finger sliding around the rim of the glass. Opposite him, Alicia nodded in agreement, her head tilted to the side as she observed their friend.
"I'm not, really – Puddlemere's my Dad's team; has been since he was a kid. He likes to keep us up-to-date on things like that." She smiled at the thought of her eccentric father and his unwavering support for the Quidditch team.
"So you'll be coming to watch me play then, yeah?" He grinned when the brunette nodded easily.
"I would've anyway. It's not every day you have a friend become a professional Quidditch player. You could've ended up playing for, I dunno… the Chudley Cannons or something, and I'd still come and watch." They smiled at each other, Katie's body shifting to face his more and the two girls on the other side of the table shared a knowing look.
"So, Mr. Star, have you been to see any of the World Cup?" Angelina asked, hiding her amusement behind the drink she lifted to her lips. Brown eyes moved away from the youngest girl in the group and landed on the oldest.
"Not yet. Mam managed to get tickets for the final, though." At his friend's badly hidden jealousy he smirked evilly. "S'wrong, Johnson?"
"You're going to see the final of the World Cup! What the bloody hell do you thinks wrong?" She narrowed her eyes at him dangerously. "And seeing as Edie works for the Department of Magical Games and Sports, I'm going to guess that they're pretty good seats, too."
"Not too bad, I s'pose." He mused, draining what was left of his drink and silently noted that he was the last to finish. He rubbed his hands together briefly and then reached out to pick up the glasses with one hand, wincing slightly when they clinked together sharply. At the raised eyebrows he was getting, the corner of his lips pulled upwards into half a smile. "Firewhiskey, anyone?"
"Encouraging under-age drinking, Wood?" Alicia questioned with a snort and he shook his head slowly at her.
"Why, is poor, baby Spinnet not up to it?" He moved away quickly, leaving her spluttering indignant answers at the others, both of whom were struggling to contain their giggles.
He came back ten minutes later, four tumblers and a brown bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey secured safely in his arms. He pulled his chair out with the toe of his shoe and sank onto it, smiling in gratitude when Katie reached out to relieve him of the bottle. He didn't notice the disbelieving look Angelina was sending him because he was busy pouring each of them a liberal amount of the alcohol.
"How in the blazes did you manage to convince her to let us have this?" She demanded in a fierce whisper, careful to make sure the landlady didn't hear her, lest she take it away.
"My charming personality," Oliver said seriously and Alicia, who had taken a sip from her cup, snorted around the liquid and coughed loudly. As she banged her chest a few times to try and dislodge the discomfort, she glared at him with teary eyes.
The oldest witch scoffed and reached over so she could thump her on the back. "Bollocks, seeing as your personality is anything but."
He tried to look offended, but found the situation too funny to keep it up and grinned like all of his Christmases had come at once. "Alright, Rosmerta agreed on the condition that this be the only bottle we have and that we drink it 'responsibly'." He used air quotes and directed a wink at the disgruntled woman behind the bar.
Searching for a new topic, Katie leant forwards and folded her arms on the table, careful not to spill anything as she pushed her firewhiskey out of the way. "Who do you think'll make it to the final? Alfie reckons Ireland will fly through the semis; says they've got the best Chasers in the entire competition." Oliver nodded thoughtfully as Alicia voiced her agreement.
"Your brother's right, I'd think. There isn't a Keeper that can defend against 'em and they know it."
"That's what Fred and George said. I dunno, I think Bulgaria will make it; there's not a Seeker on Earth that could beat Krum." Angelina declared, slapping a large hand away when it reached for a handful of beans.
"Not even Harry?" Oliver teased, knowing all three girls' affection for the youngest member of the team.
"Harry could beat anyone, he doesn't count." She dismissed with a wave of her hand, ignoring the grins that were being sent her way. "Anyway, I'm not going to rule out Germany in getting to the final. Their defence is seriously impressive."
-xoxo-
The bottle of firewhiskey was finished within an hour, giving the four of them two relatively large glasses each and as soon as she placed her empty tumbler on the stained table, Angelina gave them a sardonic smile and jerked her head at the window. As one, they turned their heads to see an imposing woman dressed in a navy blue Muggle suit, her dark hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. When she noticed them looking, she lifted her left arm and pointedly looked at the silver watch around her wrist, causing her daughter to sigh dramatically.
"That's my cue to leave; Mum's got an important business meeting with a potential client later, and she needs time to get 'ready'." She rolled her eyes, gave Alicia a one armed hug and snagged her bag from the floor. Before moving on, she bent down to kiss on Oliver on the cheek, whispering, "Well done, mate." She then used her position to ruffle Katie's hair, an action that caused said girl to move her head away with a frown. Before she had a chance to retaliate though, Angelina was dancing towards the door, shooting a smile over her shoulder at them. They watched in silence as she made her way out the pub and across the street to her mother, who offered her arm without a word, the pair of them disappearing on the spot with an inaudible pop.
Alicia huffed out a breath and pushed away from the table, reaching for the pouch of Floo powder with one hand. "I need to make a move, too. Dad gave me strict instructions to be back by half three, so we can go to my Gran's house together, and it's twenty past now. Why I can't just Floo straight there, I don't know." She shrugged sheepishly, winking at Katie and pulling Oliver into a hug, promising both of them that she'd owl them at some point to see how they were doing, and then she was gone, striding off towards the only lit fire in the room. With one last wave, she threw the powder into the flames and recited her address, vanishing in a cloud of emerald smoke.
Oliver swivelled on the spot to look at his only remaining companion and quirked an eyebrow at her. "I assume you have to go too?"
She thought she heard a note of sadness in his voice and as shook her head, smiling brightly. "Not yet. I promised Dad I'd go and help out at the shop after closing, but that's not until six." Mr Bell ran a small sweet shop in Diagon Alley, tucked in between TerrorTours and Scribbulus Writing Instruments.
Matching her smile with one of his own, the tall brunet quickly perched on the edge of the spindly-legged chair he'd been using, his entire body facing hers. "Excellent! I've got a meeting with Charlie Blackburn, my manager, at Gringotts at ten to six, to organise payment transactions, or something." He pulled a face and Katie sniggered. "D'you fancy getting a bite to eat at the Leaky, seeing as we both missed lunch, and having a bit of a wander around Diagon until we need to go?"
She ducked her head twice and then paused. "How're we going to get there? Neither of us have got any Floo powder and I don't know how to Appar-." His laugh cut her off and she furrowed her brows at him.
"I passed my test in May, if you're up for Side-Long Apparation." She agreed quietly and he tilted his head as a thought occurred to him. "If you don't have any powder, how were you going to get to London?" She flushed and began picking at a stray thread on the sleeve of her dark red jumper.
"I was going to borrow some from Leanne; she only lives down the road, and ask to use her fireplace."
Satisfied, Oliver nodded, and then glanced at the clock above the door. Just under two and a half hours until he had to meet his boss.
"Come on, then. I dunno about you, but I'm starving." As if to emphasise his point, his stomach rumbled noisily. They both rose to their feet, Katie grabbing her bag on the way up and hurried out the door, Oliver calling to the landlady, who was busy serving a middle aged witch with frizzy brown hair; "Ta, Ros!"
"Get out of my pub, you ungrateful little berk!" He heard before the door snapped closed and he turned back to see a highly amused witch smiling behind her hand.
"Ros?" She questioned, her eyebrows nearing her hairline and the smile still playing at the corners of her mouth.
"She was in my Aunt's year at Hogwarts. Same house too, come to think of it, so she's an old family friend." He stepped out of the way of an aging wizard, shooting him an apologetic smile and tugging Katie's shoulder so she moved with him. Using the movement to his advantage, he spun on his heel and scanned the street for a less crowded area. When he saw one, the pair of them stalked down the pavement, him offering his arm before they'd even come to a stop and she took it immediately, having travelled that way numerous times before with her parents.
-xoxo-
They Apparated to a small alley just off the Muggle road leading to The Leaky Cauldron, Katie using his arm to balance herself when they appeared in the boxy space. Before she had chance to untangle her hand from the crook of his elbow, he was heading out onto the street that was teaming with people, mostly Muggles, going about their daily business. She stumbled after him, her fingers tightening around the material of his dark grey hoodie as they moved between crowds of people, making sure that they didn't get split up. A large hand wrapped around hers and Oliver flashed a reassuring smile at her as they edged their way into the empty doorway of the pub. As soon as they were safely through the door, each let go and Katie set about brushing the creases in her clothes out.
"Afternoon, Katie!" Tom, the landlord, called as he passed with a pile of dirty plates stacked in his arms. He was gone a moment later, disappearing into a back room, where the sound of dishes clattering uncontrollably could be heard, and her reply died on her lips.
Oliver nudged her with an elbow and said, "Shall we find a table?"
As there weren't many people in the dimly lit room for more than just a few minutes, it didn't take long; they found a small table near the door Tom had vanished through moments before and he smiled at them when he came back out.
"The usual, I presume?" He asked, glancing between them and nodding to himself when they said yes.
"You have a 'usual'?" Her voice was mildly surprised, causing him to smile sheepishly.
"I used to practically live in Quality Quidditch Supplies during the holidays." He admitted, meeting her dark brown eyes with his own briefly, before focussing his attention on a picture over her shoulder.
"You mean you don't now?" Katie quipped, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she grinned.
"Not as much. It's more of a once a month thing, than every other day, now." He scrunched up his nose and met her eyes again. "Merlin, I sound obsessed, don't I?"
She chuckled lightly, holding a hand up with her thumb and forefinger inches apart. "Only a little bit," She lowered her hand to rest in her lap and looked at him questioningly. "You seem a lot less obsessed than you were in school."
He shot her a rueful look and sighed. "I am. At Hogwarts, there was always this constant pressure to be successful, and to make the team the best it could be, so we'd win matches. I think that's why I got so bad about it last year; we'd come so close to winning and then something would go wrong to bugger it up. Every Captain deserves to win the cup at least once in their time on the team, you know? And last year was my last chance; Charlie Weasley's team won it in my first year and that was the last time. Well, until a few months ago." He smirked in satisfaction and she felt herself imitating the gesture.
"So Quidditch isn't the most important thing in the world, then?"
He scoffed. "'Course it is. But I can enjoy it more now. I've got less responsibility and just have to do what I'm told. It's a nice change, truth be told."
Before she could respond, Tom arrived with their food, which turned out to be a portion of fish and chips for Katie, and a pile of cheese on toast for Oliver, something she found hilarious if her dissolving into giggles was anything to go by and he grimaced.
"Don't judge me, but I used to be in such a hurry to go and see what was new, that this was the only thing I'd actually sit down long enough to eat." The laughter that she'd only just managed to get under control bubbled up again and she apologised through her amusement.
"S-sorry, b-b-but, wow! You were really bad, weren't you?"
"It used to drive my parents nuts." He lifted a slice of toast in salute and then bit into it. She spent a few seconds longer watching him and then grabbed her fork, spearing a golden chip and popping it into her mouth.
-xoxo-
They lapsed into a comfortable silence after that, each perfectly content to sit in the quiet and enjoy their food. They occasionally asked each other questions; Oliver about her older brother Alfie, a Ravenclaw who'd been a year above him and had gone on to get an office job in the International Office of Law, and she about his two older sisters, one of whom was working in TerrorTours and the other had gone to Romania to become a dragon tamer a year before Charlie Weasley.
By the time they finished eating, they'd moved on to Katie and what she wanted to do after she finished at Hogwarts, a conversation that left Oliver rendered speechless when she admitted she would quite like to be a curse breaker.
"Bit dangerous for you, isn't it?" He asked when he finally got his voice back, recoiling in his chair when she glared at him, as if he was questioning her place in Gryffindor, and he hastened to explain what he'd meant. "It's just, off the Quidditch pitch you act like you wouldn't hurt a fly."
"That's why I think being a curse breaker is a good choice. I don't really like hurting people, if I can help it, and I want to do something that's going to help others, so this was like perfect option for me. Plus, you need at least an E in Transfiguration at N.E.W.T level, which is my best subject." She smiled at him, showing she'd forgiven him for the slight, unintentional dig because he was looking fairly nervous. Not that there had been anything to forgive, but she'd feel bad if she didn't do something about the worried frown on his face.
"Isn't there anything, I dunno, closer to home?" She shrugged, placing her knife and fork on the plate and shifting her weight slightly and stretching her legs out in front of her, careful to avoid kicking him.
"The training's not actually that far away. There're three years of training before you allowed go out on jobs and the facility where you do it is up in Cheshire somewhere. Besides, once you're qualified, you might not even be sent out of the country; there are loads of places all over the UK that need curse breakers." Oliver looked impressed by the amount of information she knew.
"How do you know so much about it?"
"My Great-Uncle Edward was one before he died and he used to tell me stories about it."
"Ah, that makes sense," With a look toward the grandfather clock in the corner, he pushed his chair back. "We've got about an hour. Where do you want to go first?"
"Um, Amanuensis Quills, if that's alright with you? I need to get some supplies for my dad." He nodded agreeably and they both rose to their feet.
Having seen that they were done, Tom came wandering over to take their plates away and he smiled at them.
"Don't worry about paying right now; I can see you're in a hurry. Just give it to me on your way back out." They thanked him and made their way toward the door that lead arm into the back alley, Katie tripping over the edge of a work rug and catching herself on Oliver's outstretched hand, neither of them letting go as they entered the dank, miserable looking yard. When they got outside Oliver was already reaching to tap the correct brick with the tip of his wand, flashing a grin at her as he did so.
"Gotta love Tom, haven't you?"
"Yeah, he's lovely." The wall disappeared and they stepped into Diagon Alley. Despite it being a Wednesday and the summer holidays, there weren't too many people around and they were free to peruse the shops at their own leisure, which was a distinct change from what they were used to.
-xoxo-
When ten to six rolled around, they'd visited nearly every shop on the street, working their way up towards Gringotts slowly and they were both carrying a few bags full of purchases and were struggling between holding them and the ice-creams that they had bought from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.
Gringotts looked immaculate in the early evening sunshine, the building seemingly shimmering in the golden rays. At the top of the steps there was a tall, stocky blonde man dressed in a pair of Muggle jeans, a white shirt with light blue pinstripes and a pair of shoes so shiny the sun was reflected in the leather, pacing back and forth, careful to keep out of the way of any passers-by. When he saw Oliver, he smiled and lifted a hand in greeting, jogging down the steps to shake his hand quickly and enthusiastically.
"Ah, Wood! Right on time, excellent! Shall we head on in?" Oliver gave him a placating smile that didn't meet his eyes and glanced wearily at Katie. Charlie seemed to sense something was going on because he huffed out a breath and stepped back. "Before we do that, I'm going to see if I can track down Griphook; he's the easiest goblin to work with. Just come and find me when you're ready." He nodded at the two teenagers, hurried back up the stairs and disappeared behind one of the large doors.
"He seems… enthusiastic. Kinda reminds me of someone else I know." Katie commented, shifting the bags on her arms so that the handles weren't digging into her elbow as much, grinning at the embarrassed flush that had crept up Oliver's neck and over his cheeks.
"Yeah – he's… yeah." He kicked the toe of his shoe against the pavement and stared at his muddy trainers. Beside him, the brunette laughed lightly and reached out to pat his arm reassuringly.
"I think it's a good thing," He shot her a questioning look and she nodded, more to herself than to him. "You'll understand each other better, be more willing to cooperate." She motioned towards the tall building in front of them. "You should probably go. I know how impatient Gringotts goblins can be."
"Knowing my luck, he's pissed off every goblin in the building by now, so I probably should. Look, thanks for today; it was fun. We should do it again sometime." At the startled look and light blush on her face he bit back a smile and went on to add, "I mean, all of us getting together and having a drink or something."
Katie visibly swallowed and gave a jerky nod of her head in agreement. "Oh yeah. Sure. Sounds like a great idea."
"I really should go, before Charlie does something stupid. I'll let you know when I'm playing, so you can come and watch, yeah?" He took a deep breath, rocked back on his heels and blew it out threw his nose, before leaning down and kissing her on the cheek, his breath warm on her skin as pulled back. "Bye Katie." He was gone with a rustle of paper bags and giddy laughter, leaving her staring in shock at the space he had been occupying.
She lifted a hand to the cheek he'd just kissed – he'd kissed her! – and hoisted her bags closer to her as she began trudging down the street towards her father's shop, a delirious smile spreading across her face as she walked. It was a smile that didn't disappear for a long time, even when her dad had her manually sweeping the shop floor and cleaning out the window displays and grew into a full-on grin when Oliver sauntered past half an hour later, seeing her in the window and winking at her.
So, this is the first chapter done. It feels slightly rushed in places to me, but I'm not entirely sure how to go about fixing that without re-writing the entire thing, which I'm not doing. Maybe at some point, but not right now. If there's anything that doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll try and clear it up. Oh, and I know that I deviated from canon a little bit in that Side-Long Apparition is supposed to be used in emergencies only, but I don't think it detracts from what's going on at all.
But yeah, let me know what you think. Just be nice about it, yeah?
-V